Over 100,000 sign petition aimed at saving Netflix’s cancelled ‘Cowboy Bebop’ live-action series

An online petition calling for the series’ renewal of the canceled “Cowboy Bebop” live-action show on Netflix has exceeded its initial target of 100,000 signatures.

Fan Ryan Proffer wrote that he created the Change.org online campaign for “people who want a second (or more) of the live-action Cowboy Bebop. It wasn’t a direct copy of the anime but the world they put together was amazing and [deserves] a second season.”

Fans are spreading the campaign across social media via the hashtag #SaveCowboyBebop. As of this writing, over 109,000 fans have signed Proffer’s petition, with many acknowledging the show’s flaws while pointing out its merits, such as the production values and the actors’ portrayal of the characters.

Adapted from the popular anime of the same name, the show starred John Cho as Spike Spiegel, Mustafa Shakir as Jet Black and Daniella Pineda as Faye Valentine.

Upon its release on Nov. 19, the show faced mixed reviews from critics and casual viewers, as NextShark previously reported.

Many critics who compared the Netflix adaptation to the beloved anime source material have found the live-action version to be “unoriginal, unappealing and a complete failure.” Those who appreciated the new show mostly commended the show’s “characters, visual style, artistic direction and storytelling.”

When Netflix announced on Dec. 9 that “Cowboy Bebop” would not be getting a second season, it was speculated that the decision was made due to the massive decline in viewership in the weeks following its launch.

After gaining over 36.9 million viewing hours for the week of Nov. 22-28, the show suffered a 59% drop on the week of Nov. 29-Dec. 5. with only 15.2 million viewing hours, according to Netflix’s Global Top 10 chart.

Following the news of the show’s cancellation, Cho took to Twitter to post a gif image from a “Friends” episode with the words “I’m okay” written in bold capitals.

On Instagram, Pineda simply shared an image of two diners making a mess after a failed attempt at a beer toast, while Shakir wrote an emotional post bidding goodbye to his character and the show’s fans.

Featured Image via Netflix

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